The best food trucks from across Canada

Nicole Fewell, of Cheezy Bizness in Calgary.

Photograph by: Stuart Gradon
, Postmedia News

Canada has been no slouch when it comes to the global food truck trend, serving up gourmet four-wheeled fare with the best of them. Here, food writers across the country give you a peek into their city's scenes.

Instead of a wheel of cheese, it’s cheese on wheels. The ultimate comfort food gets a gourmet makeover on the Cheezy Bizness truck, which has generated a following for its creative takes on the classic grilled cheese sandwich. From the counter on the bright orange truck, owner Nicole Fewell serves up sandwiches she fills with cheese, local produce and other goodies, like her house-made pulled pork, bacon jam and even her own version of the popular Korean condiment kimchi — not to mention the macaroni and cheese that can be added to any of the sandwiches once a week, when the “mac melts” option is available. Even the names of the sandwiches are as cheesy as their fillings. From the Hot Mess (fitting considering she’s jammed cheese, locally made chorizo and a fried egg between two pieces of bread) to the You’ve Goat to Have It (house-made goat ricotta with olive and fig tapenade, cheddar and gruyere), Fewell has had fun coming up with monikers for her offerings.

Not since the combination of chocolate and peanut butter have two types of food come together so beautifully. Marrying the flavours of India and the soft naan bread that cuisine is known for with the concept of the taco has led to the naaco — a best-of-both-worlds sandwich that uses warm, tender naan to envelope offerings like spiced chickpea fritters, butter chicken and spicy beef vindaloo, along with fresh chutneys. The flavours may be international but owners Aman Adatia and Stephanie Shields source their ingredients locally, working closely with area producers. The modern take on Indian cuisine that comes from the festively decorated Naaco truck is perfectly portable and purely enjoyable. And, since one hybrid food is never enough, the Naaco Truck also offers a dessert that brings together s’mores and samosas.

A little piece of Montreal has landed inside the four walls of a red truck that dishes up sumptuous smoked meat swiped with house mustard on the streets of Calgary. The Red Wagon Diner truck’s menu is small and simple, but plays to the strengths of what owner Gabe Goldberg is offering. Smoked meat is the star of the show, on both sandwiches and a hash topped with soft basted eggs and a side of rye toast that makes breakfast just as good at lunch time. The sandwiches — including the special, which has grilled onions and tomatoes, and the Reuben which is served up with sauerkraut and aged cheddar — are piled high with tender slices of smoked meat and that oh-so-necessary tangy mustard on rye bread. And, of course, you can get a pickle on the side.

Serving comfort food at comfort prices, it’s a food truck so successful it grew into a brick and mortar location. Matthew Basile is a citywide hero and early adopter of the food truck craze, known for such items as his Havana Club, Sloppy Jose and Kingzilla (root beer-braised short ribs and kimchi). Basile’s food is a unique take on the classics; it’s fun, fresh and always festive, from the “Olé!” emblazoned on the side of his truck to the very last bite of his bacon and spicy poutine sandwich. No wonder half of the city’s still waiting in line!

Toronto’s best deli takes smoked meat to the street: Zane Caplansky is a bit of a Toronto icon, what with his popularizing smoked meat, brisket and other historical between-bread-foodstuffs. His truck, named Thundering Thelma, also sells beef-bacon donuts, and its famous electric blue paint job brings smiles to hungry hipsters all over town. Also serving smoked meat poutine and hot dogs, Thelma, regularly appearing at rock shows and festivals throughout the summer, is an old school throwback to 1950s Montreal, with a generous portion of modern-day kitsch. To boot, most of the time it’s Caplansky himself in the truck shaving meat.

This “mobile cupcakery” spreads good will like frosting wherever it roams. Packing a rich arsenal of apple caramel, peanut butter-chocolate and red velvet cakes, this unique food truck, painted pink and sky blue, parks itself before the city’s grandest new condos and at upscale events like shows at Roy Thompson Hall. Owning the mobile market on desserts and treats, the Pretty Sweet team has successfully brightened the city’s array of food choices. They also do wedding cakes and custom cookies, but it’s their perfect portable potions that have received the most raves.

As a recovering Greek restaurateur, Theo Psalios struggled to break free of souvlaki. Happily, his addiction took on a new and healthy manifestation in the form of a food truck, launched in 2011. Little Village has quickly become a downtown Edmonton lunchtime staple. “I’ve just changed my focus on to something more flexible, more fun, and the food truck is really a fun business and industry,” says Psalios. “In the restaurant, I’m in the kitchen and it’s hard to interact with customers. It’s a lot easier when you’re at the service window in the truck.” Besides his skewered meat habit, he has now developed a dependence on kefta burgers — Greek meatballs served on a brioche bun — dressed with sides such as fresh cabbage slaw and wallops of garlicky tzatziki.

Inspired by the global travels of food truck pioneers Nevin and Kara Fenske, Drift features international flavours and high-end culinary techniques, such as the low-and-slow preparation of local proteins from beef to pork. “It’s slowly prepared food, done with fast service,” is how Nevin explains the concept. Drift charms the downtown lunchtime crowd with a small but deliberate selection of craft sandwiches. Think braised pork belly with hoisin glaze and a chili mayo, served with a side of pickled carrot, daikon and cilantro. The pair has perfected a house-made spice mix that they also sell, along with their homemade ketchup.

Some food trucks are just about the food. Sailin’ On is also about the philosophy. Launched in 2013 by two thoughtful and gregarious vegan cooks who play in a punk rock band, Sailin’ On delivers great flavour without using any animal products. While their dishes, such as the Vegan Reuben and the Drunken Chicken Sandwich Loaf, reflect the political and social perspective of cooks Mike Brennan and Garret Kruger, the truck is wildly popular because of the food. Customers have been so taken with the Sailin’ On fake bacon that the cooks have begun a sideline, selling coconut bacon in a local retail outlet, Earth’s General Store. “We just wanted to be a place where people could eat no matter what their dietary restrictions,” says Kruger. “I think we have succeeded … and we are super-appreciative of anybody who cares enough to come to our truck."

The words “gourmet hot dog” might sound like an oxymoron. But the handmade specialty frankfurters at this food truck have serious pedigree. The truck’s owners (one of them is a well-known cookbook store owner and cooking teacher) are on a mission to give the lowly hot dog a makeover. They grind the pork, beef and veal themselves and stuff it into natural casings. They hired a local baker to make their sesame- and poppy-seed-studded milk buns according to their own recipe. They even whip up their own mustard and mayonnaise. All that to say these are no ordinary ballpark franks. Take, for example, the Middle Eastern shawarma dog with garlic sauce, hummus and pickled turnips, or the bibimbap, which stuffs Korean pickled carrots, sesame dressing and bean sprouts in along with the wiener.

Many Montrealers drive all the way to Ogunquit, Maine, for a lobster roll. But the big black truck with the pin-up girl painted on the side brings the seaside classic closer to home, thanks to the owners of Lucille’s Oyster Dive, a hopping seafood joint in the west-end NDG neighbourhood. Lucille’s lobster rolls don’t stray too far from tradition. What they have going for them is lobster, and lots of it, mixed into mayonnaise with a little crunchy celery and green onion and stuffed into a hot dog bun. The only thing missing is the salt air and the sound of the surf.

Fried, fried or fried? It can be hard to decide between the many deep-fried delicacies served up from the crazy-painted Lucky’s Truck. Will it be the Mac Burger (fried mac ’n’ cheese on a bun) or a fried-shrimp po’ boy or deep-fried Cajun-spiced nuggets? Lucky’s duck confit poutine was already famous in Montreal when it went on to win the coveted gold medal at the Drummondville Poutine Festival last summer. It takes the Quebec fast food classic to new levels by topping golden french fries with shredded duck confit, onions caramelized in balsamic vinegar and then drizzling them with a gravy of foie gras and red wine. Oh, and did we mention the fried ice cream for dessert?

Don’t be alarmed when customers step up to the truck saying: “I need crack.” They’re ordering a very healthy salad of Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, cabbage and capers with zings of chili, lemon juice and Parmesan. People on social media started calling the salad “crack” and it stuck. On the other hand, Kickass Rice is just what owners Clement Chow and Steve Kuan felt about their rice bowl of blended rice, topped with Taiwanese cabbage slaw, nori and a “perfect” sous vide poached egg. There’s also big demand for the beet fries and an ease with Asian flavours as in the Porky Bun, a crispy steamed bun with barbecued pulled pork, cabbage slaw, cilantro, basil and sweet chili bean sauce.

Like Bono or Drake, this celebrity restaurateur needs only one name. The food truck bearing celebrity chef Vikram Vij’s name is a declaration of his love of hawker food at railway stations across India. “It’s a culinary journey across India,” Vij says of the food. When the lineup gets taxing, there’s complementary chai and cassava fries and Bollywood music to lift the spirit. Lamb kebabs ruled as the star dish but of late, they have been elbowed aside by jackfruit curry (a sign of adventurous Vancouver palates) and by butter chicken schnitzel (a light schnitzel with fenugreek cream curry served on rice).

Thanks to Eat Street, the TV show about street food, tourists deplane at YVR and head straight to this downtown food truck for lunch. The purple Feastro trucks (one with a bleached cattle skull and the other with a Texas longhorn) are outfitted with smokers for pulled pork, Maui beef, jerk chicken for the tacos and brioche bun sandwiches. One of the owners picks up fresh produce from a farmer in the morning for the freshest, local veg and the seafood is local and sustainable. There’s always demand for the Dirty Fries, a temptation of kennebec potato fries, slow-cooked pulled pork, barbecue sauce, aioli, salsa and pickled jalapeno. Look for seasonal specials with products like Fanny Bay oysters and spot prawns.

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